Kurt Walker has a number of claims on the history of hip-hop. Under the moniker Kurtis Blow, he was the first rapper to sign to a major label, Mercury. He was the first to embark on a national tour. He was also the first rapper to appear on network television, performing The Breaks. Built around a series of disco breaks, but also bemoaning the bad luck a person can have in love, Blow's Soul Train show (in suit jacket with nothing underneath) helped to catapult The Breaks to gold record status – another first.